The Thread Of Complete Randomness

    Happy Independence Day to all the Yanks. Makes me wonder what America would be like if the Brits had won the war. What we need most right now is independence from insanity. Watching the news last night, it appears the entire world has lost their collective minds. There are now mass shootings across the globe, in malls, restaurants and elsewhere. These are places we should feel safe. July 4th is traditionally a festive and fun day with barbeques, good food, fireworks, friends and family getting together...but today I'm really not feeling that there's all that much to celebrate.

    Quote from CountingOutTime

    Happy Independence Day to all the Yanks. Makes me wonder what America would be like if the Brits had won the war. What we need most right now is independence from insanity. Watching the news last night, it appears the entire world has lost their collective minds. There are now mass shootings across the globe, in malls, restaurants and elsewhere. These are places we should feel safe. July 4th is traditionally a festive and fun day with barbeques, good food, fireworks, friends and family getting together...but today I'm really not feeling that there's all that much to celebrate.

    Happy Independence Day CoT!......:)


    It makes me sad about the way the world is turning towards corporate greed everywhere rather than helping the people. We see massive floods in Australia and 19 states voted against Biden in order to reduce pollution. I don't understand it.


    If the Brits had won the war, you'll be getting happy hour, fish and chips and Sunday roasts!.....;) 😂


    Not sure why people have children anymore as we are slowly destroying this planet on a daily basis.:(

    Rogers our TV network and provider for the internet was down for 2 days. Was happy this morning to know my internet is back :)


    It's amazing what you rely on over the years!...😁

    Quote from Noni

    Rogers our TV network and provider for the internet was down for 2 days. Was happy this morning to know my internet is back :)


    It's amazing what you rely on over the years!...😁

    Yes, I read that this morning. On Teletext! it is, indeed, amazing what you rely on over the years, and years! :D


    I remember attending a display of Prestel, basically teletext over a phone line using a small plug in decoder box, at a venue in Chester with a couple of friends back in about 1976/7, just before it was publically launched. We were amazed. This is the FUTURE, we thought. Prestel - Wikipedia


    Back to your situation, I believe Canadian Internet Cafe's have never had it so good as the last couple of days!

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    Like 1
    Quote from foxfeeder

    Yes, I read that this morning. On Teletext! it is, indeed, amazing what you rely on over the years, and years! :D


    I remember attending a display of Prestel, basically teletext over a phone line using a small plug in decoder box, at a venue in Chester with a couple of friends back in about 1976/7, just before it was publically launched. We were amazed. This is the FUTURE, we thought. Prestel - Wikipedia


    Back to your situation, I believe Canadian Internet Cafe's have never had it so good as the last couple of days!

    Think I bought my first calculator around 1976/77 back in the day!!!...:D..... Before then, I was using a slide rule and log tables and anti-logs to do maths. We were allowed to use those in exams but not calculators.

    Quote from Noni

    Think I bought my first calculator around 1976/77 back in the day!!!...:D..... Before then, I was using a slide rule and log tables and anti-logs to do maths. We were allowed to use those in exams but not calculators.

    Yes, about the time I bought my first one too, a Commodore MinuteMan 6, Commodore Minuteman 6 Handheld Electronic Calculator | National Museum of American History (si.edu) a real off-the-wall calculator, very small, ran on a PP3 battery when almost all others used AA cells, it was wedge shaped, didn't have a floating decimal point, you had to figure that out yourself, and used reverse Polish notation, where all 4 function keys were also enter keys, so 6x9= was 6, any of the 4 function keys, 9, then the function you wanted, so 6+9x, or 6-9x, or 6/9x, or 6x9x, and you got the answer.


    Yes, used log tables and slide rules. I was in the last year in our school to use traditional maths, and another group in our year was the first to use the new system, called SMP I think. We once had a chat with the other group during a break, and we couldn't make head nor tail of their system.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    Sometime last year, I found it strange that Bruce Willis was in so many movies from 2018 onwards. Beginning of the year he announced his retirement from acting due to a mental disease, which effects his speech and memory.


    So far from 2018, I counted at least 29 movies he's starred in, as of today.


    Somewhere in the media, I read that he is one of the richest actors in Hollywood so far. I can well believe it!.


    Though some of his latter movies can be forgotten about, as both acting and directorship are pretty poor in some of the movies, the remainder are not bad at all.


    I'm quite a fan of Bruce Willis and find him quite funny at times.


    I believe his last released movies will end in 2023 and wish him well!...;)


    What a final career ending he's made!.......8)

    Should I get the train from Boston to Philly, or should I fly?


    Train is about 5 hours and cheaper. Flight is an hour and a half, but add in going to the airport two hours early, and it's more expensive.


    My sensibilities lean towards train travel as flying has become a ghastly ordeal. I inter railed through Europe a long time ago, and generally like traveling by train. However, the northeast corridor is busy and I have been on a couple of very crowded trains. An hour and a half for the flight sounds very short.


    So, train or plane?

    Go by car! :D


    Seems to me your preference is the train, so go with your gut!.....;)

    Train. After my most recent flying experiences I vowed to avoid it as far as is practicably possible from now. Flights are often cheaper than trains, at least here in the UK, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to suck up the extra cost for the relative comfort and reduced hassle.


    Travelling often between Inverness in the northern Scottish highlands and London, I'd fly or train it. Station to station is 8 hours (by daytime service), airport to airport usually about 80-90 minutes - literally take-off to landing. But when factoring in all the bollocks either side of being on the plane it could approach 6 hours before I'm at the equivalent of exiting the station when I arrive by train. For the sake of those 2 hours I'll pay the extra and have a much more relaxed journey. But as i said, not everyone's in a position to do that.


    I also occasionally use the London-Scotland sleeper service. That really can be a 'money is no barrier' option so I don't often do it but I enjoy it when I do. I don't know if there are actual sleeper trains from Boston to Philly with berths but there certainly are overnight ones with business-class comfy seats.

    Abandon all reason

    Like 1

    Solid input guys! Think I'll go with the train. Flying is so unpleasant nowadays. And the pricing is so cynical - an $89 ticket if you want to choose a seat, get something to eat or drink, check a bag or sometimes even just carry on, priority boarding so the overhead space isn't full and you end up checking your 'carry-on' etc etc end up being $230 or something. Not to mention security lines.


    I might spring for a first class ticket for the trip down, where the train is already 60% full, to mitigate against the crowding issue, and get a regular ticket back where it's only at 10%. This will nudge the price just over the flight, but not by much.

    Quote from Schrottrocker

    Clearly none of you guys has ever been travelling with trains in Germany. :P

    As it happens, you've just reminded me that during my time inter-railing - mentioned above - my friend and I had a particularly rough sequence of nights out at one point with very, very little sleep had. All nighters in Tresor in Berlin. We were then traveling through Germany en route to somewhere else, maybe Switzerland, and when the ticket inspector came around I showed him mine, but my friend was unconscious. Like seriously the guy's Glasgow Coma Scale would have been close to 3. He was totally unresponsive. The inspector stood there for 10 minutes shaking him and bellowing "junger mann! Junger mann!" before giving up.

    What it must be like to live in a country or region where travel times are short.


    I am going to Melbourne in December to meet up with high school friends, and having seen the recent airport queues and read of airline staff shortages, a nice long train trip (about 12 hours or 11 if you have a sleeper) seems like a nice idea.

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    Never realized that this used to be Britains National Anthem before God save the Queen or King.

    Edited once, last by Noni ().

    Managed to get 2 full sized cucumbers for $ 1.00 and 15 large strawberries for $1.25





    While walking to my local store, a vendor was selling a sausage with a pop for $9.00 8|. That's outrageous!..

    A beer would look reasonable.^^


    They used to sell for $3.00 and $1.50 for a pop. Hot dogs were $ 2.00

    Edited 2 times, last by Noni ().

    Like 1

    We have the same problem here in the states. Vendors are setting prices that are in no way commensurate to the current economy. You're right, it's outrageous. Sad that people have turned to greed in times where common sense and understanding are what's needed most.

    Quote from CountingOutTime

    We have the same problem here in the states. Vendors are setting prices that are in no way commensurate to the current economy. You're right, it's outrageous. Sad that people have turned to greed in times where common sense and understanding are what's needed most.

    I can get a dozen eggs for $2.00, freshly laid too!...:) from a farmer. Most stores here charge between $5.00 to $8.00 =O


    Just to point out, you need the crap on the eggs to keep them fresh.


    Most supermarkets wash their eggs which destroys the protective layer... So most North Americans need to refrigerate eggs rather then keeping them in a cool place.